Texas+v.+Johnson+(1989)

During the 1984 Republican National Convention, Gregory Johnson protested the Reagan administration. In disagrement with the Reagan administration polocies and some Dallas corporations Johnson participated in a public protest. After a march through city streets Johnson set fire to an American flag while protesters chanted. No one was injured or threatend with injury, allthough many people were seriously offended. Johnson was convicted of desecration of a venerated object in violation of a Texas statute. Johnson appealed the conviction stating the conviction was a violation of his first amendment. Johnson was protesting the deregalations that Presidant Reagan was allowing big corporations to do. Nothing good came from this deregulation in health, safety, and enviormental regulations wich cost Americans billions. This ignored property rights and came from the spurious notion "freedom from risk." Johnson did not like the thought of deregulation for big buisnesses and decided it was time to make a stand in witch he marched the streets of Dallas and at the end of the march johnson set the American Flag a blaze. Johnson (to right) with attorney Kunstler, c. 1989 Johson was charged with Texas law of vandalizing respectabel object. He was sentanced to one year in prision and a 2,000 dollar fine. Johnson appealed his conviction to the Fifth Court of Appeales of Texas but lost his appeal. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeales would then see his case this was the highest court in Texas. Johnson continued to appeal his conviction until reaching the Supreme Court were he was found inocent and convicted in witch it violated his first amendment. He was found innocent under the freedom of demonstration. Johnsons case was doucumented as a judical review case.The Supreme Court justified its decision because Johnsons conviction violated the First Amendment.
 * BackGround:**

This case is significant because it is a case that defined part of the first amendment. This case is one of many cases that has built up to define the first amendment protections and how to protect the people of the united states under the first amendment in the court of law.